"Don't worry, darlin', I'll be fine. Now get back to work before you get in trouble."
He watched her shiver at the command in his voice, and her eyes darkened. Yeah, she liked it when he took control, whether she admitted it or not.
"Yes, sir," she replied, and that had his cock twitching in his pants. He wanted to pull her in for a kiss, but instead he grabbed the lager she slid across to him and went back to his booth to finish her shift.
Three hours later, he was walking her to her car. "Think the storm will hit us like they're saying?"
"Oh yeah, it's coming. You can feel it in the air."
"Then I better head to the campground early in the morning and talk to the Caplans about a cabin before it hits. If I can get into town tomorrow night, I'll stop by."
"The roads will be treacherous, don't try driving on them. Just wait until they're cleared. I don't want anything happening to you."
"All right, darlin'. I promise I won't risk it." He wrapped his arms around her. "Now, how about a kiss to hold me over?"
"That I can do."
He pulled her close and fused his mouth with hers, kissing her deeply. One hand slid into her hair so he could control the kiss while the other slid down to lightly squeeze her ass. By the time he pulled back they were both breathless.
He leaned his forehead against hers. "Drive safe and I'll see you in a few days, even if I have to walk the mile into town. I'm like a junkie, I need my fix, darlin'."
"And what's your fix?"
"You," he said simply. Then he left and headed for his last night at the Pacific Rose.
Chapter Seven
Bryce
Another filthy human touching his precious gem. Another lesson needing to be learned. He followed on silent feet as the man left the tavern, but he didn't go to a car. No, he stumbled down the street, too drunk to drive.
He ducked into an alley to disrobe. He couldn't tell the filthy human his crime, couldn't tell him why he was being punished, but that couldn't be helped. He darted out into the street and stalked his prey.
The man heard a growl behind him and turned to find a wolverine stalking after him. A garbled cry escaped him and he fell as he turned to run. He scrambled to get back up, but the beast was on him before he could stand. A scream erupted from him as the beast tore into him. Blood flew in an arc. As he lay there dying, the creature turned into a man.
"You shouldn't have touched my precious gem."
Then it was a beast again, and it slunk away into the darkness.
Chapter Eight
Frankie
"Did you hear?" Carla, one of the servers said to her. "There was another animal attack. The guy who was harassing you last night was found dead this morning."
"That's so creepy. He’s the second one that was harassing you," Sophie, one of the other servers said. "The guy you've been canoodling with better be careful," she joked.
"That's not funny, Soph," Carla barked.
"Sorry, trying to lighten the mood. I'm sure it's a weird coincidence."
"Yeah," Frankie said, but she felt sick. She couldn't tell them about the note she'd gotten the night before. Or the fear she now had for Yaeger.
"Your secret admirer strikes again," Carla said as a bouquet of lilies were delivered.
"Damn girl, you've got two of them on the hook," Sophie said. "How do you do it? I can't even get one."
"I'll let you have the secret admirer," Frankie said.
